New leads are essential for every corporation. Without them, the sales funnel can slow and growth may stall. Every CEO knows this and frequently asks sales teams the same question: How many new leads do we have this week or month? New is always better. We need a new CRM. Let’s spend $10,000 generating more leads. Sound familiar?
There is nothing wrong with focusing on new leads — in fact, there is a lot right with it. The real issue arises when organizations focus only on acquisition and begin to treat existing customers as no longer relevant, as although their value has already been extracted.
If you’re a CEO or Sales VP, ask yourself: When was the last time your past customers were contacted? Three months? Six? Eighteen? Never? Sales teams are heavily incentivized to win new business — but are they equally rewarded for retaining and developing existing clients? Usually not. This mismatch quietly drains revenue from companies every day.
Everyone is focused on the new — but who is equally focused on retention? Too many leaders overlook the fact that revenue from existing customers is often easier, faster, and more profitable than winning a new one. The hardest part — earning trust — has already been done.
At a minimum, companies should contact existing customers four times a year. Not excessively — strategically. For example:
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A relationship check-in
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A product or service update
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A satisfaction conversation — Is everything going well?
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A renewal or future planning discussion
Consider the data:
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Acquiring a new customer costs 5–25× more than retaining an existing one
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The probability of selling to an existing customer is 60–70%, compared to 5–20% for a new prospect
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A 5% increase in retention can increase profits by 25–95%
Re-engaging past customers is often low cost — sometimes as simple as a well-timed email — yet many companies ignore this opportunity.
So ask yourself: when did your team last contact customers from 2023 or even 2024? It’s not too late to rebuild those relationships, but the longer the silence, the harder the recovery.
An excellent starting point is simple: review your client list, identify who has gone quiet, and reach out — before your competitors do.
